Vacuum cleaner coupling construction



Patented Aug. 31, 1943 VACUUM CLEANER COUPLING CONSTRUCTION Alfred W. Gardes. Evanston, Ill., assigner lto Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application September 25, 1041, Serial No. 412,257 3 claims y (ci. zat-114) .This invention relates to vacuum cleaner construction and has particular reference to a novel and improved form of quickly detachable coupling means for removably securing one part of a vacuum cleaner to another part thereof.

In tank type vacuum cleaners the bag preferably should be emptied after each use and to expedite the removal of and reassembly of the bag with the machine it is desirable that a conveniently operated, quickly detachable couplingv means be provided for, clamping the end bell and bag of the cleaner in position.

This invention has for a principal object the provision of quickly detachable coupling means in which means are provided for clamping the several parts firmly together, the said coupling means being constructed and arranged so as to allow for wear and for variations in thickness of the parts due to manufacturing.

and illustrating ycertain details of the construction embodying my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating certain of the parts in another position; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a tank type vacuum cleaner comprising a body III which forms a housing for the suction creating means and a bag or dirt collecting receptacle indicated generally at I2, the inlet end of the housing being closed by a cap I4 which is removably secured in position by a plurality of toggle clamps I6. In Fig. 1 the end cap is shown in dotted lines in a position separate from the housing I0 and in fullY line position clamped to the housing I0, and similarly, the clamps I 8 are shown in their released position in dotted lines.

'I'he cap. I4 is provided with a suitable inlet to which suction cleaning tools may be connected by means of a flexible hose. The bagl I2 comprises a dirt collecting receptacle formed of air pervious material in the form of a sleeve I8l closed at one end thereof and flxedly secured at the other end thereof to an annular ring 20.. A laterally extending flange 22 of the ring is` provided with an annular U-shaped gasket 24 which seats against the face or end 2B of the housing I0. The cap or end bell I4 is provided with an annular shoulder 2l which clamps the gasket 24' against the end 28 of the housing I0. 'Ihe clamps IB are each provided with a hook 32 which is adapted to engage the outside shoulder 34 formed on the end cap I4. The clamps I Scomprise channel shaped members which are cut away at 26 adjacent the hook $2 so as to accommodate the part 30 of the cap I4. 'I'he clamp I6 is pivotally connected at 21 to a double link 38 which in turn is connected to `a pin 40 which extends through slots 42 formed in a pair of lugs 44 formed integrally with a plate 46. The plate 46 at one end is secured to the housing Ill by a screw or rivet 48 and at its other end is held in position by a pin 50. The head of the pin 50 as illustrated may be welded to the inside of a channel member 52. which extends along the side of the housing I 0, the pin extending through an opening in the member 46, and through the wall of the housing I0 on the inside of which a nut or other securing means 54 is secured.

The pin 40 is slidable along the length of the slots 42and a spring 56 having one of its ends 58 connected to the pin 40 and the other end Bil con-v nected to a lug 62 formed on the member 48 is provided for biasing the pin toward the left-hand end of the slots 42. The member 46 may be further provided with lugs B4 and 66 which are adapted to engage the insides of the sides of the clamp I6 for aligning the clamp I6 with the channel member 52. When the clamp IB is in the positionillustrated in Fig. 3 the end cap I4 may be removed from the housing I0 by sliding the end cap I4 to the right, after which the bag I2 may be removed from the housing III by taking hold of the ring 24 and pulling the same to the right.

To reassemble the bag in the machine after cleaning, the bag I2 is simply reinserted in the housing I0 with the ring 24 seated against the end thereof, after which the cap I4 can be arranged so that the seat 28 thereof clamps the gasket or ring 24 against the end 26 of the housing. Thereafter, with the parts arranged as illustrated in Fig. 3, the hook 32 can be moved to engage the shoulder 34 and the clamp IB then shifted rearwardly (to the left) to the position shown in Fig. 2. During this movement the links 38 will swing so as to move between the lugs 6B and the pin 40 upon which the links 28 pivot willv slide forwardly (to the right) in the slots 42 links 38, and the clamps I6 will firmly clamp the shoulder 28 against the bag ring 24, and the bag ring 24 iirmly against the end face 2li` of the housing l 0, or the shoulder 28 directly against the end face of the housing I0. The construction of all of the clamps I6 on each side of the housing I is the same.

While the invention has been described with some detail, it is to be understood that the description is for the purpose of illustration only ment of the links about said pivotal connection and out of parallelism with said body function.

ing to break said toggle and providing for movement of said catch out of engagement with said shoulder.

. one oi' said members; a toggle clamp for releasand is not deilnitive of the'limits of Athelinventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of partsas will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

I claim: I f

1. For use with a vacuum cleaner body member having a seat thereon, a member adapted to be removably seated thereon, and a shoulder on one of said members; a toggle comprising a pair 1 of links pivotally connected together, one ofsaid links being provided with acatch for engagement with said shoulder and the other of said links having a pin andslot connection with the other of said body members, said links being supported by said pin and slot connection in such a manner that said links may be arranged generally parallel to each other and to said body memberand with said pin and slot connection vdisposed on a line and between said shoulder and said pivotal connection between said links, spring means acting on said pin and slot connection for biasing said other of said links away from said shoulder so that when said catch is engaged with said shoulder and said links are arranged generally parallel to said body member said member will be clamped to said seat, moveably securing said members together comprising a pair o1 links pivotally connected together, one of said links being providedwith a catch for engagement with said shoulder and the other of said links having a movable pivotal connection with the other of said body members which provides for slidable movement of such. link relative to said body member in addition to the pivotal movement therebetween, and'- spring means on said other of said body members for moving said links in a direction to urge said catch against said shoulder when said toggle links are arranged parallel to each other, said movable pivotal connectionbeing arranged substantially in line with and between the pivotal connection between said links and said catch when said toggle links are arranged parallel to each other.

3. For use with a vacuum cleaner body member having a seat thereon, a member adapted to be removably seated thereon, and a shoulder on one of said membersj a toggle clamp for releasably securing said members together and comprising'a U-shaped element having a catch at one end thereof for engagement with said shoulder, a link having one of its ends pivoted to said element intermediate the ends thereofl the other end of said link having a pin and slot connection with the other of said members and means biasing said other end of said link in a direction away from said one of said members, said link beingv ALFRED W. GARDES. 

